| Skyzoo |
| Birth name |
Gregory Skyler Taylor |
| Born |
(1982-12-24) December 24, 1982 (age 29) |
| Origin |
Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres |
East Coast hip hop |
| Occupations |
Rapper, songwriter |
| Years active |
2005–present |
| Labels |
JamLa, Duck Down Records |
| Associated acts |
Jay Dee, 9th Wonder, Illmind, Carlitta Durand, Just Blaze |
| Website |
skyzoo718.com |
Skyzoo (born Gregory Skyler Taylor, December 24, 1982, Crown Heights, Brooklyn) is a New York hip hop emcee.
Born Gregory Skyler Taylor in 1982 in Crown Heights, he grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant.[1][2] He was nicknamed Skyzoo by his parents after R&B group Skyy. The nickname also derives from his middle name, Skyler.[1][3] He began rapping at the age of nine and went on to work with producers Jay Dee and 9th Wonder, releasing several mixtapes in the hope of securing a record deal.[1] He lost to Jin on BET's 106 & Park freestyle contest, but went on to have tracks used as both the theme to ESPN's Whiplash TV and the soundtrack to a Guinness advert, and set up his own Custom Made Entertainment company.[1][4] He has also had a long association with North Carolina rap crew the Justus League, whom he was introduced to via his friend Chaundon, and who he describes as his "second family".[5] Jay Dee's death in 2006 prompted Skyzoo to pay tribute with the song "Sky's Last Donut".[1] He worked with 9th Wonder on his debut album, Present Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, which reportedly took only three days to record.[1][6] He also contributed to three tracks on the Hall of Justus album Soldiers of Fortune.[4]
He released the critically acclaimed Corner Store Classic mixtape in 2007, and released a remixed version, including some new material, as a digital download album in 2008.[7] Corner Store Classic was rated 'XL' (4/5) by XXL Magazine.[8] In 2007, he stated that he had a second album ready, called The Salvation, but was waiting for a major record deal before releasing it.[9] It was released in September 2009 courtesy Duck Down Records.[10]
He cites as influences hip hop artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, N.W.A., Big Daddy Kane, and Kid 'n Play, as well as artists such as Sade, Nirvana and John Coltrane, and cites Coltrane's A Love Supreme as his favorite album.[11] He credits J Dilla as his biggest inspiration and favorite producer.[11] He has been critical of the direction that Hip Hop has taken, stating "People are taking the 'whatever we gotta do' method, resulting in gimmick records. I'm about making money but it has to be with dope records".[12]
- Mixtapes
- I'm for the People
- Back for the First Time
- The Greatest Flow on Earth (2005)
- Ghetto Celebrity: The Mixtape (2005)
- The City's Favorite: The Mixtape (2005) Custom Made
- The Way You Get Down (2006) D.B.R.G./Custom Made
- Corner Store Classic (2007)
- Corner Store Classic (The Remixes) (2008) (Digital download)
- The Power of Words with DJ Drama and Statik Selektah (2009), Audioworx
- The Great Debater (June 2011)
- Albums
- EPs
- The Strung Out Remixes (2009) Coalmine Records
- ^ a b c d e f Cordor, Cyril "Skyzoo Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ^ "FEATURE:The Next Next?", XXL, November 10, 2008
- ^ OneAngryBlackMan. "Skyzoo - Return of The Real". Tha Corner. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100308163923/https://thacorner.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=852%3Askyzoo-return-of-the-real&catid=54%3Ainterviews&Itemid=180&showall=1. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ a b Ivey, Michael (2006) "Skyzoo - Brooklyn Water", Nobodysmiling
- ^ Kayser, Brian (2006) "Skyzoo", Hip Hop Game
- ^ "Skyzoo's 3 Day High On Cloud 9", MVRemix, November 2006
- ^ "Skyzoo To Drop Corner Store Classic-Remix Mixtape", Hip Hop DX, April 7, 2008, Cheri Media Group
- ^ Rawlins, Ashmi (2008) "Skyzoo Corner Store Classic", XXL Magazine
- ^ Rhett, Starrene (2007) "Features: Skyzoo: Going Nowhere But Up", Hip Hop DX, Cheri Media Group
- ^ Ortez, Edwin. "Skyzoo Signs to Duck Down Records, Debut Album in August", hiphopdx, May 9, 2009.
- ^ a b "Skyzoo interview", Bhagat Vinyl
- ^ "Off the Radar: Skyzoo", The Source, October 2007
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Justus League
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Notable albums by
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| Jamla Records (Artists) |
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Skyzoo
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| Studio albums |
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| Collaboration albums |
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| Mixtapes |
- I'm for the People
- Back for the First Time
- The Greastest Flow on Earth
- Ghetto Celebrity: The Mixtape
- The City's Favorite: The Mixtape
- The Way You Get Down
- Corner Store Classic
- Corner Store Classic (The Remixes)
- The Power of Words
- The Great Debater
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| Singles |
- "Way To Go"
- "I'm On It"
- "Get It Done
- "Click"
- "The Necessary Evils"
- "The Beautiful Decay"
- "Popularity"
- "Easy to Fly"
- "My Interpretation"
- "Frisbees"
- "Speakers on Blast"
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Skyzoo |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
December 24, 1982 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
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